The present invention relates to an image apparatus, and more particularly to an image acquiring apparatus.
Image input devices have become a common tool for input of pictures in the real world into a computing environment. These input devices have historically captured the picture by either capturing the image as a one dimensional signal (such as the signal from an image sensor with a linear structure) or as a two-dimensional signal (such as the sigal of video of interlaced or non-interlaced types or other instantaneous capture apparatus).
Most computing devices and computers, particularly personal computers, have limited external I/O ports for connecting thereto peripheral devices. A typical PC contains maybe a single parallel interface port and two serial ports, or two serial bus ports. This usually results in port conflicts that requires cable swapping operations and often system software configuration changes. The parallel interface port is usually connected to (1) a printing device, (2) an external storage device for backup or high density transmission, (3) a scanner image input devices, and increasingly (4) other image acquisition devices such as video capture devices.
In addition to physical port limitation, the software set up in Windows (Mcrosoft Trademark)-based system supporting image acquisition devices is still in developmental stages, with existing standards co-existing with emerging standards (e.g. TWAIN, Still-Image-Architecture, Video-for-Windows, and Imaging-classes . . . etc. wherein TWAIN stands for Technology Without An Interesting Name and is an industry standard, and we can find its details at url:http://www.twain.org). This usually results in device operational conflicts, increased cost as devices have to support port switching circuits, and frequently system crashes. It also requires complex system cabling and switching as illustrated in FIG. 1, which shows a first switch 1 connected to a personal computer 2 for switching between an image scanner 3 and a video capturer 4, and a second switch 5 connected to image scanner 3 for switching between a printer 6 and an external storage 7.
When one examines the general. architecture of a one dimensional image acquisition device such as a scanner, one finds a structure that is shown in FIG. 2 which represents the majority of scanner architectures on the market today and includes a linear signal source 11, an analog-to-digital converter 12, a control, storage interface and digital processing unit 13, a timing control unit 14, a storage or memory unit 15 and an input/output unit 16.
Two dimensional image acquisition has two major types of sources: video from consumer and professional video devices and digital cameras. There exists on the market a number of video capture devices for capturing 2-D images in the PC environment. They have one of two general architect as outlined in FIG. 3 which shows a digital camera 21 as the first architecture, and the combination of a video capture device 22, an A/D converter 23, a video timing and frame grab control unit 24, a storage unit 25 and an input/output unit 26 as the second architecture.
There exists also multi-function devices such as the scanner-fax-copier-printer combination. FIG. 4 shows how they are implemented by using common the I/O structure. In general, they have a singular image acquisition function. In FIG. 4, there is shown a multi-function peripheral hardware architecture including a personal computer 31, a first switch 32, a print mechanism 33, a print controller 34, a second switch 35, a scanning mechanism 36, a scanning controller 37, facsimile electronics 38 and a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line 39. In such configuration, the positions of first and second switches 32, 35 will determine the operation mode which can be tabulated as follows:
Other than sharing I/O switches, the above combination, however, exists little synergy between relevant functional blocks.
Till now, as shown in FIG. 5, any one who wants to simultaneously or optionally acquire 1D images and 2D images, he or she must equip himself or herself with two independent hardware units and two independent software programs which include for 1D image acquisition, a hardware unit 41, a driver software 42, an operating system component (e.g. TWAIN) 43 and an application software 44, and for 2D image acquisition, a hardware 45, a driver software 46, an operating system component (e.g. Video for Windows (VFW) or Still-Image-Architecture (SIA)) 47 and an application software 48.
It is therefore tried by the Applicant to deal with the above situations encountered in the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image acquiring apparatus for selectably acquiring 1D image signal and 2D image signal.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a single image acquiring apparatus having a simplified structure for selectably acquiring a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal.
It is additional an object of the present invention to provide a convenient image acquiring apparatus allowing the user to selectably acquire 1D image signal and 2D image signal.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an image acquiring apparatus includes an image signal acquisition device selectably acquiring therethtrough a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, an image acquisition control directly or indirectly electrically connected to and controlling the image signal acquisition device to selectably acquire one of the 1D signal and the 2D signal, a memory directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for storage, a pixel processing unit directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, an input/output interface directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control, and a selecting mechanism directly or indirectly electrically connected to the signal acquisition device for passing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal through the pixel processing unit.
Certainly, the ire acquisition device can include a 1D analog acquisition unit for acquiring theretrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D analog acquisition unit for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. The 1D analog acquisition unit and the 2D analog acquisition unit can respectively be a 1D image sensor and a 2D image sensor.
Alternatively, the present image acquisition device can include a 1D image digitizer for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D digital demodulating device for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. The 2D digital demodulating device can include a 2D sensor, an analog-to-digital converter and a digital demodulator.
As further an alternative, the present image acquisition device can include a 1D image means for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D image means for acquiring therethtrough the 2D image signal. Each of said 1D image means and 2D image means can include an image sensing device and a signal digitizer. The signal digitizer can be an analog-to-digital converter. Alternatively, each of the 1D image means and the 2D image me=can be an image sensor. The image sensor can incorporate therein an image digitizer The image digitizer can be an analog-to-digital converter.
Certainly, the selecting mechanism can be electrically connected to the pixel processing unit As an example, the selecting mechanism can be selecting switch controlled by a software built in the pixel processing unit. Alternatively, the selecting mechanism can be a multiplexer.
Alternatively, the selecting mechanism can be built in the image acquisition device for discriminating the 1D image signal from from the 2D image signal. As a further example, the selecting mechanism can be electrically connected between the image acquisition device and the pixel processing unit.
Certainly, the selecting mechanism can include an analog demodulating circuit and a multiplexer. The pixel processing unit can be embedded into the image acquisition control.
Certainty, the present apparatus cm further include another pixel processing unit so that the pixel processing units will respectively process the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal. In such circumstance, the present apparatus can Her include another selecting mechanism so that the two selecting mechanisms can be interactive such that only one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal will pass through a respective one of the pixel processing units at a time.
As a further embodiment, the present apparatus further includes at least another pixel processing unit for serially processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal.
In an embodiment of the present apparatus, the present image acquisition device includes an analog-to-digital converter for digitalizing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal.
Alternatively, the image acquisition device can include two analog-to-digital converters for respectively digitalizing the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal.
Preferably he pixel processing unit further includes a common color pipeline module for performing color balance calibration to generate a specific image file format. The common color pipeline module includes a null operation. The common color pipeline module performs at least one function selected from a group consisting of signal linearization, gamma correction, color-space transformation, color balancing and matching processing.
Generally, the present apparatus further includes a computing device electrically connected to the input/output interface and provided with a common color pipeline module for performing color balance calibration to generate a specific image file format wherein the common color pipeline module includes a null operation, and the common color pipeline module performs at least one function selected from a group consisting of signal linearization, gamma correction, color-space transformation, color balancing and matching processing.
Alternatively, the present image acquiring apparatus includes an image signal acquisition device selectably acquiring therethrough a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, a pixel processing unit directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image signal acquisition device for processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, an image acquisition control directly or indirectly electrically connected to and controlling the pixel processing unit to selectably process one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, a memory directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for storage, an input/output interface directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control, and a selecting mechanism directly or indirectly electrically connected to said image signal acquisition device for passing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal trough the pixel processing unit.
In this embodiment, the diversifications mentioned in the previous embodiment can also be exercised. For example, the image acquisition device can include a 1D analog acquisition unit for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D analog acquisition unit for acquiring theretrough the 2D image signal.
Alternatively, the image acquisition device can include a 1D image digitizer for acquiring theretrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D digital demodulating device for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal.
As a further example, the image acquisition device includes a 1D image means for acquiring theretrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D image means for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. Each of the 1D image means and 2D image means can include an image sensing device and a signal digitizer. Alternatively, each of the 1D image means and 2D image means can be an image sensor.
Metaphysically speaking, the present image acquiring apparats includes a hardware structure for acquiring theretrough one of a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, and a singular driver module enabling the, hardware structure to selectably acquire therethrough the one image signal.
The hardware structure can include an image signal acquisition device selectably acquiring therethrough a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, a pixel processing unit directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image signal acquisition device for processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, an image acquisition control directly or indirectly electrically connected to and controlling the pixel processing unit to selectably process one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, a memory directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for storage, an input/output interface directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control, and a selecting mechanism directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image signal acquisition device for passing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal through the pixel processing unit.
Certainly, the selecting mechanism can be embedded into the driver module. The hardware structure can include an image signal acquisition device selectably acquiring therethrough a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, an image acquisition control directly or indirectly electrically connected to and controlling the image signal acquisition device to selectably acquire one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, a memory directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for storage, a pixel processing unit directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, an input/output interface directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control, and a selecting mechanism directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image signal acquisition device for passing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal through the pixel processing unit.
By the same token, the selecting mechanism can be embedded into the driver module. The driver module can utilize a common application interface definition to transfer data with said hardware sire.
Preferably the present apparatus firer includes an operating system interface means for cooperating with a TWAIN standard interface, a Still-Image-Architecture (Mocrosoft (trademark)) interface and a Video for Windows (Microsoft (trademark)) interface. The operating system interface means can include two operating system interfaces, one of which cooperates with the TWAIN interface and the other of which cooperates with one of the Still-Image-Architecture interface and the Video for Windows interface.
The diversifications described wit respect to the previous examples can also be applicable here. Specifically, the image acquisition device can include a 1D analog acquisition unit for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D analog acquisition unit for acquiring therethtrough the 2D image signal.
Alternatively, the image acquisition device can include a 1D image digitizer for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D digital demodulating device for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal.
As a further example, the image acquisition device can include. a 1D image means for acquiring theretrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D image means for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. Each of the 1D image means and 2D image means can include an image sensing device and a signal digitizer. Alternatively, each of the 1D image means and 2D image means can be an image sensor which can incorporate therein a signal digitizer.
The present invention may best be understood through the following descriptions with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: